Ferry McFerryFace was actually the second most popular choice, however,
with the most votes going to Boaty McBoatFace, the name of a British
research vessel.

"Given Boaty was already taken by another vessel, we've gone with the next
most popular name nominated by Sydneysiders," said Minister for Transport
and Infrastructure Andrew Constance, the ABC reported.

More than 15,000 suggestions were made in the Name Your Ferry competition
and three of the six new ferries have already been picked by voters: Victor
Chang (Australian heart surgeon), Fred Hollows (ophthalmologist) and
Catherine Hamlin (obstetrician).

The suggested names were considered by a four-person panel comprising of
Australian National Maritime Museum director and chief executive Kevin
Sumption, former NSW Volunteer of the Year Patrick Dodd, NSW Young
Australian of the Year Melissa Abu-Gazaleh and Australian Museum director
and chief executive Kim McKay.

When voting opened Mr Constance urged the public: "Let's really generate
some of the best names possible."

NSW’s Facebook post has received nearly 900 shares and more than 1,800
comments—way more than other recent posts on its page—and many social media
users cheered the decision:

This is the greatest thing ever in the history of NSW Public Transport.

I’ll say it. An absolute joke and an insult. To think MUA Delegates worked some years back to have the fleet known as the indigenous class with appropriate names and instead we get Ferry McFerryFace. An insult to the history of the ferries for the sake of a 5 minute laugh #nswpolhttps://t.co/05a1FKqxfa

"It was funny when the Brits proposed Boaty McBoatface. It was still funny
when the Swedes used Trainy McTrainface. Sadly the joke is wearing thin now
though, and Ferry McFerryface just doesn't roll off the tongue as easily,"
one Facebook user wrote.

Though you might think that the story serves as another cautionary tale for
PR pros thinking of opening up naming to online audiences, NSW Public
Transport put a few restrictions in place when it launched the competition.